Friday we drove up to Ithaca for David's first college visit (he's a
junior). We dropped him off at a friend's dorm, and checked into our
hotel. Walked to a nearby recommended tapas place, but wait was 30
minutes. So we tried Madeline's down the street. Wine list was ok,
though the American choices were better than the European. I ordered a
bottle of the 2003 David Bruce Pinot Noir (Sonoma). I sniffed for TCA
and approved, waitress poured. That's when I discovered the wine was
wayyyy too warm. When waitress returned I asked for an ice bucket(she
looked at me like I was insane/don'tyouknowredwineisroomtemp), but got
bucket. I struggled through what was already poured while waiting, but
at 75°F or so it was thick and gloppy.

As it cooled, a better wine showed. Good black cherry fruit, with
cooler temps some acidity peeked its head out to keep it from being
gloppy. It still showed as too oaky for me, the sweet vanilla notes
were a bit much. Still, I liked the dark cherry fruit, and a bit of
spice melded well with my Asian duck. Wine gets a B. Food had ups and
downs - foccacia was good, as was Betsy's endive/fennel salad with
passion fruit vinaigrette. and my beef samosas (though the tamarind
saucewas a bit much). My duck two ways (five spiced leg and breast)
was tasty, but I tried to avoid the huge lake of sweet berry sauce -
Betsy had same issue with her NY strip and the peppercorn sauce. Good
mashed potatoes and broccolli rabe.

Saturday after tour we drove home, we had been invited to dinner so
didn't worry about cooking. Enjoyed our tour of friends' new home (we
had only seen while helping move). Before dinner we enjoyed the NV
Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Champagne. I've noted big bottle variation
here, this one was one of the better showings. Light but not
insubstantial, a nice yeasty/biscuity note that was missing from last
bottle I had. Not bad, but who knows what next bottle will bring. This
one gets a solid B.

Main course was seared buffalo steaks, with dill mashed potatoes and
asparagus. Jim and Dana had just returned from a trip to Argentina and
Urugauy, and had brought back a bottle of the 2002 Luigi Bosca "Gala"
Malbec/Petit Verdot (I think Jim said there was also tannat in blend).
Rather big body, lots of dark fruit (blackberry with a little
blackcurrant) with a little floral edge and a slightly green underlying
flavor. Not as tannic as I would have expected, more fruit and oak
driven. A bit too much oak-driven for my tastes, a fruit and oak bomb.
Clearly well-made, just not my style. B/B-

The cheese plate has a nice assortment, including a nice blue, so I
accepted a glass of the Taylor-Fladgate 20 Year Old Tawny Port. I don't
drink much tawny, but this was rather nice. Nice lighter body, aromas
of holiday spiced nuts over a nice base of raisins, dried currants, and
apricots. B+/A-

We stayed at home on Superbowl Sunday, as Betsy prepared Paistettu
Sorsa (Finnish recipe of duck braised with juniper berries from a
recent Saveur). Unsure of what to expect, I checked Hugh Johnson's
pocket guide for food match, he suggested pinot with juniper berries.
Fine by me- I love duck and Burgundy. I opened a 375 of the 1999
Vincent Girardin "Clos des Chenes" Volnay 1er . Dark cherries, flowers,
and a little toast on the nose. Black raspberry fruit with some hints
of earth, vanilla, and mushrooms. A nice wine if a little more
oaky/modern and a bit bigger than what I love for in Volnay, there's
good depth if not a lot of elegance. Tasty, a B+. The recipe had a
little jam in the sauce,and there was also apples cooked inside the
duck. I think next time I'd actually go with a big white that's just
off-dry as a better match for the sweetness of the dish, though this
was ok. Last glass was quite nice watching the 2nd half.


Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent
wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't
drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no
promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of
consistency.